The "country/cowboy strong" postings reminded me of my childhood. My brothers always had that chiseled upperbody and slim waist physique that comes from working on a ranch. They looked great. Unfortunately, I always thought my upper body strength was unfeminine.

Are there any women who have been shovelgloving long enough to notice the effects on a female body? I would love to hear your opinions.

Maybe sticking with a lighter sledgehammer is the answer. When we loaded and stacked hay (incidently Reinhardt, we call it "bucking bales" out west) we were lifting very heavy bales.

One more thing....I know I just found you all, but as a newbie, I like the concept of the chiseled masculine body holding a shovelglove in some way for the t shirt idea. The idea with the separate arms holding the shovelglove in a wheel would probably look cool, but seems exclusionary to anyone who isn't in it.

I'm middle-aged Mom, 5'1", very petite...and I do Shovelglove sometimes, in addition to other exercises.

My sledgehammer is 4 pounds (6 pounds total, with the handle), and it has a short (almost 14 inches) handle, much shorter than what the others here are using, I think.

I like to look like a lady, not like a man, but Shovelgloving hasn't hurt me any. It provides a good range of motion with a weighted object. I have an easier time carrying groceries in from the car, or lifting heavy cases of food at the grocery store where I work.

As with any form of weightlifting, a man's physique comes from his supply of male hormones, not just from his exercise program. A woman has to spend a LOT more time with very heavy weights to achieve the masculine "muscled" look. If you spend the typical 14 minutes with a lite or medium weight sledgehammer, you will be strong and defined, but still every inch a woman.

The idea with the separate arms holding the shovelglove in a wheel would probably look cool, but seems exclusionary to anyone who isn't in it.

So true!

I agree Junie, I realized that after I wrote that idea! LOL..
Welcome to the group...

I don't feel I look anything but feminine.. (And that includes when I am tossing guys over my shoulders and kicking ass in arm wrestling!!! ) But really, you would have to be really pumping iron and drinking creatine shakes to end up looking like a WWF contestant.. LOL..
I have lost over two inches of fat from a combination this year of SG and yoga.... Mainly SG has just helped with being strong, not bulky... I'm losing inches not gaining... It's not irreversible, so why not just see how you evolve as you go along and decide if you like your results..
You don't have to do it if end up feeling you are unhappy with what you see... It's a real fun workout so, I say, just give it a try!
Peace and Love,
Deb

I like it that my arms look better defined and less 'flabby'. I'm losing my 'chicken fillet wings' too.

How can it be unfeminine to have strong and healthy muscles? They're not bulky or bulgy at all, but the shape is definately good. My husband has also not complained at my new 'sculpted' arm and shoulder muscles either - on the contrary in fact!

Try it out for a few weeks and see what you think. I PROMISE it won't make you look like popeye

In hindsight, if I would have really thought about my question, 14 minutes a day of these types of movements aren't going to turn anyone into a she hulk (love it). I must have had a knee jerk reaction to the term coutry strong.

Let's face it, as I sit here in my 30+ year old, post maternity and post breast feeding body, what I wouldn't give to be fit and strong like I was as a teenager......biceps and all.

I found myself a six pound sledgehammer and didn't have a choice on the handle length so I am doing as CaroJo suggested. I don't know how effective my first try was, because it was hard to take myself seriously. But I am going to keep at it because so far the No S diet rules have been so easy.

Yeah, I brought up the "country strong" idea a while back. To clarify, I meant increased strength and capacity for work in "real world" arenas vs. being able to lift a bunch in the weight room. I didn't mean to imply anything at all about bulk.

Also, for the record, I just recently upgraded to a 12-lb. sledge. I feel no need to move up to 16 pounds anytime soon.